Milford Twp. Man Saves Wife As Fire Destroys Their Home Police

The associate director of the Strunk Funeral Home in Quakertown rescued his invalid wife from their Milford Township home yesterday afternoon just before it was destroyed by fire.

Richard Strunk, 62, answering a phone call from his wife, Anne, 65, rushed home to find her at the door of their smoky ranch home at 463 Mill Road. Strunk placed his wife in their car before alerting neighbors, who phoned the Fire Department.

Mrs. Strunk, who has angina, was later treated at the scene for chest pains.

"What can you say at a time like this?" Strunk said as he stood smoking a cigarette on a next-door neighbor's porch while his wife was attended to inside. "It's a total loss, as you can see."

About 50 firefighters from seven area companies battled the smoky fire for 90 minutes before bringing it under control, Milford Fire Chief James Ruth said.

The fire apparently began about 2 p.m. in the rear basement near the garage. Within minutes, flames wereshooting through the roof and dark smoke was billowing throughout the rural neighborhood, drawing a small crowd of curious residents. The fire collapsed the roof and one wall of the brick- front, frame house, sending debris into the basement and basement-level garage. The cause of the fire was unknown yesterday.

Strunk said he was working at the funeral home when his wife called about 2 p.m. She said the smoke detector had gone off, and "I came home to check on it," he said.

When he arrived, Strunk said, he found smoke pouring from the rear basement near the garage. "I got her into the car and got the neighbors to call the fire company," Strunk said. "You couldn't get in the house anymore."

The couple's pet Poodle, B.J., apparently died in the fire.

Strunk said he did not know the value of the nearly 30-year-old home, the interior of which he finished after hiring a contractor to erect the frame and facade.

Besides the Milford department, the 2:14 p.m. alarm was answered by the West End, Quakertown No. 1, Shelly, Sellersville and Haycock fire companies. Ruth declared the fire under control at 3:43 p.m. Firefighters stayed on the scene through the early evening to wet down hot spots, clean up and secure the ruined house.

The Milford Township Ambulance Corps administered first aid, including oxygen, to Mrs. Strunk. Later, Dr. Y.S. Kim of Quakertown Community Hospital arrived to care for her.